It's been a little more than a month since 49-year-old Slayer guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman died of alcohol-related cirrhosis. And while the pioneering metal band still mourns, they're not planning to retire the act any time soon. At the Kerrang! Awards in London, guitarist Kerry King said, "[Jeff is] gonna be in everybody's thoughts for a long time. It's unfortunate you can't keep unfortunate things from happening. But, you know, we're gonna carry on, and he'll be there in spirit."

So far Slayer are scheduled for more than 30 dates in 2013, including international headlining gigs and European festivals. The band will replace Hanneman with Exodus shredder Gary Holt. After original drummer Dave Lombardo exited the group because of a contract dispute, Slayer will also be joined by Paul Bostaph, who drummed with the band from 1992 to 2001, contributing to four albums.

"Paul's a great drummer and a good friend, and we're very happy that he's decided to rejoin the band," says vocalist and bassist Tom Araya. "We're still pretty numb from the loss of Jeff, but we don't want to disappoint our European and South American fans, and we need to begin moving forward...having Paul back in the band makes that a whole lot easier."

Most Popular

Photo of the day

The New York Times' Style Magazine confirms what we've known for a long time as Nicki Minaj covers their Greats issue. In the interview with Roxane Gay, Nicki shares, "I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody second-guessing." Read more here.